chocolate and bacon

Over the last few months, I'd spotted this combination on various blogs. Chocolate and bacon. Sounds a bit odd? But then you remember that bacon and maple syrup is a match made in heaven, and then it doesn't seem so bad. Anyways, I've been wanting to try the two together, but as I have been much too busy lately to be baking cookies or cakes and what nots, had yet to give it a go. A very thoughtful friend of mine however, got me one of these when she spotted it in a local deli. A 'Zotter' dark chocolate bar filled with coffee, plums, bacon and chocolate cream. Wow. I was so excited that I opened the wrapper and dug straight in. The first thing to hit you is the cardamom and chocolate liquor that's part of the ingredients. I could not taste any bacon. But then, as you nibble onto another piece, and yet another, slowly you begin to notice something caramelly yet distinctly meaty in it, almost like a bakkwa. There is no mistaking it; it's bacon. And it's dangerously addictive...

Asian at heart

Despite being Asian, and growing up on (mostly) home-cooked food, I rarely have cravings for Japanese or Chinese cooking like so many others that I know. Perhaps it's because the majority of modern Japanese home cuisines can hardly be called Japanese at all. Gratins, hamburgers, cutlets and curries, most of the dishes are simply Japanified Western favourites. Or perhaps it's because of the years I spent in a French school with an excellent canteen. Anyways, the point is that I usually don't go out hankering for a taste of the Orient, and in any case, I'm probably doing myself a favour by avoiding the mostly unauthentic joints around town. Funny thing is though, it is only at times when I am terribly ill, moaning and groaning for help, so weak in the stomach that I can barely stand a sip of water, that I suddenly yearn for some Japanese-style congee, or a bowl of Chinese noodle soup, which is precisely what happened when I was seriously ill this week. My stomach would accept neither soup nor bread, but I somehow managed to drag myself to the Chinese supermarket where I bought a bagful of instant noodles. Me, who has for years frowned upon instant nooodles, who has not touched the stuff for at least 6-7 years, who has considered it to be on the same level as McD's, was brought down to boiling a kettle and pouring it over a bowl of powdered crap. I have to say though, it kind of saved my life. For the first time in days I was able to eat without discomfort. All the oil and msg's floating around in the soup has worked wonders. I now hail instant noodles. It really is quite scary how deeply rooted one's upbringing is.

Egg in Bagel

I know, this is a fantastically unattractive photo. But you know, sometimes you're just too hungry to care. I wanted to make one of those 'hole in toast' aka 'bullseye toast' aka 'egg in the basket' etc thing, but using a bagel instead (It even appears in V for Vendetta). As it happens, the hole was too small and the egg went everywhere, which, I honestly think worked out for the better as it made the bagel nice and moist. The green bits sitting on the side is shaved raw brussel sprouts. Over the weekend, I read a comment by Nigel Slater on the Observer magazine that brussel sprouts eaten raw in a salad was perfectly acceptable, so I tried. It makes it taste like plain cabbage. Honestly, the bitterness of brussel sprouts just magically disappeared. In fact, I missed the bitterness. Shame.

ice-cream on the rise

The price, that is. Yet I must admit it's because they're made by the increasing number of fussy ice-cream makers, and many (though not all) do create rather gorgeous ice-creams, but it does come at a price. Previously, I moaned about the price of the Booja-Booja Stuff in a Tub being too expensive. That was about £5.49 a tub I think. Now I've come across one that tops it up. The Christmas pudding ice-cream by September Organic Dairy, whose regular line of ice-creams are sold at about £4.99 at Fresh and Wild, was £6.99. Am I a scrooge to be complaining? Worse still, am I an idiot to have bought it anyway? It was, after all, the last left tub in the freezer, and seeing as this is probably going to be the last festive season for me in the UK, after much dwindling and dawdling around the frozen food section, I gave in. And man, do I not regret it.



















It comes in an adorable christmas pudding shaped container.

Blueberry Pancakes

The beauty of making your own blueberry pancakes is, that unlike in a restaurant that stinge on the blueberries, and you therefore have to dig around to find the berries, you can simply add as much as you want. Take mine for example, I'm so generous that my pancakes end up with a blue hue. If that sounds gross to you, the heck with it because it tastes good. Although I have made many a pancakes from scratch in the past, this time I used Bisquick, and I'm not at all ashamed of it. I've tried so many horrible pancake recipes in the past that when you're living a busy life so short on time (ie. me) that the only affordable break in the day is when you eat, I'd rather have a fool-proof box of bisquick than to lovingly make pancakes to find out that the recipe's a failure. In any case, top it with gorgeous yumsicle things and any box-mix can turn into a beau. The secret topping for my pancakes this time? Left over brandy butter from Christmas. I really do wish I had thought of doing this way waaay earlier in life.

Just a rant

Eating food that tastes good is a joyous experience. It's even better when, due to the shape of the food item, the actual process of eating becomes enjoyable. This is why I like pastries of the roll/swirl/twirl/twists type, especially if they're soft and doughy. Take for example a nice sticky cinnamon roll, oozing with gooeyness hidden between sheets of bread slightly squishy from soaking up the filling. If I see someone biting into such a thing, I feel like getting up and waving my arms shouting, "No! What're you doing? You're ruining your cinnamon roll experience!". What's more fun than slowly unraveling the winded pastry from the outside, ripping pieces off and perhaps even giving it a dip in your morning coffee before popping it into your mouth? If you end up with messy fingers, a sticky coffee handle and piles of scrunched up tissue, I think you deserve a ten out of ten. Perfect for eating in such a way is this tahini roll, another purchase from my trip to London. Toasted, it's caramelised exterior is nice and crunchy while the inside is warm, nutty and sweet. From a stall at the Spitalfields market, which as a market is no longer worth going to these days, but the mediterranean cake stall is so good that I still return especially for it.

Banana Curd Pie

Despite the fact that it was so easy to make, my experimental banana curd pie turned out to be quite scrumptious. I covered the made-ahead pie base with sliced bananas, smothered it with the market bought banana curd and finished it off with a generous coverage of chopped roasted hazelnuts. Crunchy, gooey, yum. Worth trying with a variety of tweaks I reckon, like using cranberry orange cookies for the base, or using cheese curd, trying out various fruits like raspberries, adding a layer of nutella... god I can seriously go on forever.